1、A Meeting Planners Guide to Catered Events,Chapter One The World of Catering,Who doesnt like to eat and drink?,When you plan a meeting, you want the food and beverages to be tasty and abundant. You want your attendees to leave feeling pleased that they were at the event.,Banquets and receptions are
2、both social and business events,People love to socialize and network. All aspects of a catered function are important. The quality of food, beverage, and service makes one of the deepest and most lasting impressions on meeting attendees.,Groups generally prefer professionally prepared and served foo
3、d and beverages. This allows hosts to concentrate solely on their personal, social, and business activities while also enjoying the events. And they can leave the clean up to someone else.,Business Catering,association conventions and meetings civic meetings corporate sales or stockholder meetings r
4、ecognition banquets product launches educational training sessions seller-buyer entertaining service awards banquets hospitality suites,Caterers come in all sizes and shapes.,There are caterers who can provide Japanese, Italian, French, Chinese, American, Southwest, and Seafood. There are picnic cat
5、erers, kosher caterers, and barbecue caterers. Your options are endless.,Types of Catering Venues,independent banquet halls civic auditoriums stadiums, arenas ethnic social clubs fraternal organizations womens clubs private city or country clubs, athletic clubs hospitals universities, libraries,exec
6、utive dining rooms in office buildings or corporate headquarters houses of worship recreation rooms in large housing complexes parks museums, aquariums restaurants with private dining rooms,Some facilities are more competitive than hotels or conference centers, with more flexible price structures du
7、e to lower overhead expenses. Public facilities are tax-exempt. Some facilities provide their own catering in-house; others are leased to and operated by contract foodservice companies that have exclusive contracts. Some will rent their facilities to off-premise caterers.,Many meeting planners do no
8、t simply purchase a meal,They buy fantasy, fun, service, ambience, entertainment, and memories. Buying food and beverage is only one component of the fun and fantasy.,Much of what a caterer sells is intangible,You cannot touch or feel an event before hand. The caterer is selling something that has y
9、et to be produced and delivered. It cannot be resold, restocked, or returned. People purchase what they “think“ will happen. Its a gamble for them. They are nervous and need to be reassured that they made the correct decision. The caterer must create a sense of trust with his or her clients.,Caterin
10、g is a consumer-driven market,Stimulated by clients who demand exceptional quality and excellent value for a reasonable price. Value is determined by the buyer, not the seller. Buyers perceptions are sellers realities. The impression meeting planners have of a propertys catering ability is their rea
11、lity, and will influence their buying decisions.,Most meeting planners will comparison shop,They make the best choice when they perceive a facility is reliable, consistent, creative, and can execute the best quality event consistent with what they are able to pay.,The caterer must be able to take a
12、meeting planners vision of the function (needs, wishes, purpose of the function, and budget) and develop an event that can be delivered effectively and efficiently.,Catering staff,Director of catering (DOC) Assistant catering director Catering manager Catering sales manager (CSM) Catering sales repr
13、esentative Convention/conference service manager Banquet manager Banquet setup manager Assistant banquet manager Scheduler Maitre d hotel Captain,Server Busperson (busser) Food handler Bartender Barback Sommelier Houseman Attendant Clerical person Engineer Cashier Ticket taker Security Room service
14、manager,How caterers price,Three general types of pricing methods used by caterers: thirds methodcontribution margin (CM) methodmultiplier method,The thirds method,Calculating a per-person price that will cover three things equally: the cost of food, beverage, and other supplies (such as napery, dan
15、ce floor, etc.); the cost of payroll to handle the function, plus overhead expenses needed to open the room (such as turning on the air conditioning units, etc.); and profit. With a $30.00 price per-person, the caterer will have approx. $20.00 to cover expenses, leaving a $10.00 profit from each gue
16、st. The caterer will also add taxes and gratuities (or service charges) to this price.,The contribution margin (CM) method,This is the typical pricing method used by large caterers. Everything must make a profit. It is too difficult for large caterers to build each party from scratch, so it is neces
17、sary to standardize some things.,The contribution margin (CM) method,The caterer must know as much as possible all the expenses associated with “opening the room,” apart from the types of menu items meeting planners will order. These are essentially fixed catering expenses, such as salaries and wage
18、s, utilities, paper products, and marketing.,The contribution margin (CM) method,These total fixed expenses must be divided by the number of attendees expected for a year. This gives the caterer a reasonable estimate of the amount of fixed expense per attendee. To this number is added the per-person
19、 cost for the food, beverage, and other variable costs (such as special linen) that comes with a particular catering menu option.,The contribution margin (CM) method,Once the caterer knows how much the total variable and fixed expense is per person, the desired profit margin is then added to each me
20、nu option.,The multiplier method,This is a version of the contribution margin (CM) method. Once it is established, the caterer then multiplies it by a factor that usually varies from about 3 to 7, but can go higher,The multiplier method,The factor is related to the type of services, ambience, and so
21、 forth, provided to attendees. The more expensive, the higher the factor will be. The factor can be independent of these variables; during the high season, even modest caterers can command a high price. The factor, and the price, are influenced by competition and what the market will bear. It will b
22、e as high as possible. To the caterer, there is no such thing as a price that is too high.,Level pricing,Range pricing,The caterers objectives,Earn a fair profit, consistent with the amount of money invested in the catering business. Generate sufficient catering sales revenues to accomplish the abov
23、e, to cover all operating expenses, and to have enough money left over to reinvest in the business. Ensure customer satisfaction.,The caterers objectives,Provide consistent quality and service. Convey a particular image. Develop a reputation for dependability, flexibility, and solving problems. Stay on budget.,
